NAFPAKTOS.

"Nafpaktos is an age-old fortress-town, whose origins are lost in the depths of time."

Its enviable strategic position in the embouchure of the Corinthian Gulf was the reason for Nafpaktos to become the apple of discord throughout its history of many centuries amongst the powerful nations of each era. Locritians, Athenians, Messinians, Achaeans, Thebatans, Macedonians, Aetolians, Romans, Francs, Slavs, Bulgarians, Normans and Turks have alternated in the rule of the city.

The historical diary of Nafpaktos, LEPANTO – as it was called by the Venetians- is full of milestone dates. The sea fight of Nafpaktos in 1571, which took place in the greater sea area of the town, and during which the Christian forces prevailed and stopped the advance of the Muslims towards Europe, thus preserving the European civilization, is amongst the brightest highlights of a tumultuous past.
The town is built amphitheatrically on a slope of a hill that runs down to the sea. The old city, located within the castle walls, has retained its old, quaint character. Wherever you look, your eyes rest upon beauty, harmony, and serenity. One can easily discern slight or great traditional architectural particularities, even in those places dominated by concrete and the TV antennas of modern buildings. As you wander through the paved alleys of the town, you get the distinct feeling that you will run across the legendary heroes of 1821, Tzavelas, Botsaris, Farmakis, that you will see the young captain of a fire ship, Anemogiannis, holding a flaming torch in his hand, or that you will hear the deep, husky voice of Giannos Vlahogiannis.

Looking down from the top of the Castle of Nafpaktos at the breathtaking view of the Corinthian Gulf and of a strip of Peloponnesian land right across, you lose all measure of things. Down at your feet you can see the little Venetian port, swinging between the past and the present.
The town of Nafpaktos has all those special traits which constitute quintessential picturesque-ness. Many green spots, plenty of freely-flowing water, huge perennial sycamores, clean sea, spotless house yards and gardens, a beautiful, protected port, which is the smallest and prettiest in the Mediterranean, and its mighty Fortress, a stone witness to the perturbed history of the town.

The climate in Nafpaktos is regarded as one of the best in the country. It is temperate Mediterranean, with a relatively mild winter season and a cool summer. There is quite a lot of rainfall, short spells of summer dryness and extended sunlight. Nowadays, the town demonstrates all signs of urban infrastructure, which develops over an extended, five-kilometre coastline. The historic centre – that part of the city which is enclosed within the castle walls – constitutes an interesting traditional building arrangement and, combined with the successive bastions of the Venetian Fort, composes a historic environment. The area is densely populated, albeit under strict town-planning regulations pertaining to building and aesthetics. The road network is quite complex, mainly comprised of narrow, paved alleys (“kalderimia”) and stone sets of steps. Two parallel main roads run through the developed area east and west of the historic city centre. Additionally, certain restrictive building regulations are applied, so as to retain the traditional form of the town.

Nafpaktos has all the prerequisites for furthering its development, economically, culturally, as well as literarily. It has been endowed by Nature with a great deal of potential; its human resources are also considerable. The town lies right in the heart of the main routes of Western Greece.
The harmonious and organic match of the past and the present, of Nature and man, of power and grace, can only be noticed in very few cities, historic Nafpaktos, the enchanting “Bride of the Corinthian Gulf”, being one of them. It is for this reason that the town has been officially declared “a place of historic interest and of exceptional natural beauty” by the State.

Nafpaktos is an important pole of attraction for many native as well as foreign visitors and tourists, who not only enjoy the beauty of the picturesque town, but also have the chance to venture out to Dorida and Nafpaktia, areas famous for their hospitality and beauty, with Nafpaktos as their starting point.

The basic components that comprise the scenery of upland Nafpaktia and Dorida are two, namely water and mountains. Indubitably, these areas are amongst the most beautiful in Greece in terms of natural beauty.

Beautiful villages, such as Platanos, Ano Hora, Elatou, Terpsithea, Ambelakiotissa, Arahova, Simos, Poteidania, Krokylio, Artotina, to name a few, are built at an altitude of 700 to 1,000 m. in the midst of sycamores, firs and flowing waters, within a 30- to 80- kilometer distance north of Nafpaktos and complete the itinerary of Dorida and Nafpaktia. These are ideal – and idyllic – settings for excursions, sports activities, hiking, mountain-climbing, trekking, mountaineering, cycling, car and motorcycle racing, kayaking, rafting, taking pictures, the list goes on and on…Modern tourist facilities, hotels, pensions, etc. await you upon arrival.

However, it takes less time to get to the seaside, with its marvelous beaches, where you can enjoy a good swim. In particular, there is a strip of coast extending from Kato Vasiliki to the Mornos Delta and from Hiliadou to Glyfada Fokidas. Kato Vassiliki, Riza, Makyneia, Platanitis, Psani, Gribovo, Hiliadou, Monastiraki, Skaloma, Marathias, Sergoula Beach, Glyfada, Spilia, and the Troizonia island offer a clean sea, as well as food, accommodation and water sports services, which visitors seek in order to make their stay a comfortable and pleasant one.
Nafpaktos and its greater area are an ideal place not only for vacation, but also for permanent residence.